Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10, NKJV
Thank you Lord! Once again You are reminding us that there is no need to fear, for You are able! Hallelujah! Amen.
Many of the promises of God deal with one of the biggest concerns in today’s society: fear. All around us we see people wrestling with their fears; the fear of obesity, the fear of sickness, the fear of a global catastrophe, the fear of death, just to name a few. Fear is a negative emotion, and as such begets more negativity. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, are results of the fear of getting fat. On another level people are so afraid of getting sick, that they actually make themselves sick by allowing their imaginations to run wild.
Others have never gotten over 9/11. Many are still under the care of psychologists and psychiatrists. The possibility that our planet will be wiped away by some cataclysmic event has become their nightmare, day and night. And of course death, the number one fear, plagues us all. It seems that we have forgotten that death is a conquered foe.
In our promise today, God calls us away from fear, and into His presence, “Fear not, for I am with you[.]” One of the first things a mom will say to her fearful child is “Mommy is here, it is all right.” The presence of one we love and trust is a sure antidote against fear. So God reminds us that He is with us, therefore we have nothing to fear.
This assurance is followed by another, “Be not dismayed, for I am your God.” Who is our God? So much depends on the way we answer this question. I once heard a sermon entitled: “Your god is too small.” If we are dealing with a god of wood, and metal, like those spoken of in the preceding chapter (40: 19, 20), there is need to fear and be dismayed. These gods cannot help themselves and surely will not be able to help us. But if our God is “the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,” (28) then this promise is for us!
He promises to strengthen us, because “He increaseth [the] strength” (29) of those who are weak. In Him we will have the strength we need to meet and overcome every temptation, because He will be with us in every situation.
He will help us, because He is our God. “He sits upon the circle of the earth…and spreads out the heavens as a curtain” (22). All the help we will ever need is to be found in Him.
He will uphold us. In His “right hand” is sufficient strength to “keep [us] from falling, and to present [us] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy[!]”
He is able, and willing. He is Creator, and Redeemer. He will save us to the uttermost! Praise God!